The present invention relates to a chemiluminescent device used as toys, emergency lights, fishing goods or the like. In particular, the present invention relates to a chemiluminescent device including a luminous body capable of generating light through a chemiluminescent reaction.
There has heretofore been known a chemiluminescent device composed of a luminous body. The luminous body includes a light-permeable, flexible container made of polyethylene, polypropylene or the like, a breakable capsule made of glass or the like and contained in the container, and two chemical components for making a chemiluminescent mixture, which are enclosed separately in the capsule and a space between the container and the capsule. In use, the capsule is broken, for example, by bending the container, to mix the chemical components. The resulting chemiluminescent mixture generates light through a chemiluminescent reaction, and the generated light will be emitted through the light-permeable container.
In the luminous body, it is desirable to enlarge a luminous area or the outer surface area of the container to achieve enhanced luminous effect. However, larger outer surface area of the container involves increased amount of the chemical components, which undesirably increases the weight and cost of the luminous body. This imposes a restriction on the luminous area. For example, a cylindrical luminous body realistically has a diameter of "PHgr"20 mm at most.
In addition, the container is made of a material having a relatively low softness or shock-absorbability. Therefore, the capsule is frequently broken during transportation. Also, it is dangerous to throw at a person the chemiluminescent device or hit a person with the device, because the insufficient softness or shock-absorbability can inflict an injury, and the container can be damaged to cause leakage of the chemical component. Further, for assuring light-permeability and flexibility, the container has a thin thickness of 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, and thereby the chemical components contained in the container are subject to ambient temperature. For example, when the luminous body is used at an ambient temperature of 0xc2x0 C. or less, luminance from the chemiluminescent mixture will be deteriorated in the shortest time. Furthermore, during commercial distribution, the capsule is always exposed to risk of unintended breakage.
Thus, in view of highly efficient, reliable, safety-conscious products, there is the need for providing a chemiluminescent device having enhanced luminescent effect, safety and reliability.
In order to solve the above problems, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved chemiluminescent device capable of providing increased luminous area to achieve satisfactory luminescent effect while fulfilling fundamental requirements such as weight and cost for the chemiluminescent device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved chemiluminescent device which is not susceptibile to ambient temperature.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved chemiluminescent device with enhanced softness for safety and easiness to break the capsule.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved chemiluminescent device with reliability and shock-absorbability such that the capsule is not broken by a shock during transportation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved chemiluminescent device capable of providing an additional practical or enjoyable effect such as buoyancy and single-color or multi-color luminescence.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a chemiluminescent device including a luminous body capable of generating light through a chemiluminescent reaction, and an outer layer for covering the luminous body. The luminous body includes a light-permeable, flexible container, a breakable capsule contained in the container with leaving a space therebetween, and two or more chemical components for making a chemiluminescent mixture, which are enclosed separately in said capsule and said space. Further, the outer layer is made of closed-cell plastic foam. In this device, the light generated by the luminous body is diffusely reflected through the outer layer and then emitted out of the outer layer.
In the first aspect of the present invention, the luminous body is cover by the outer layer made of closed-cell plastic foam. The closed-cell plastic foam is a light-weight material and is practicable in acceptable cost. Further, an adequate light-permeability can be obtained by arranging the forming ratio and the thickness of the closed-cell plastic foam, to allow the light generated by the luminous body to be spread over the outer layer by virtue of the diffuse reflection in the outer layer and be emitted from the entire outer surface of the outer layer.
Thus, larger luminous area can be achieved by covering the luminous body with the outer layer made of closed-cell plastic foam while fulfilling the fundamental requirements for the chemiluminescent device.
In addition, the closed-cell plastic foam has excellent softness and shock-absorbability. This allows the luminous body to be covered by the outer layer having a soft outer surface, so as to achieve increased safety. For example, even if the chemiluminescent device is strongly hit against the human body, accidental injuries will be effectively avoided. Further, the shock-absorbability can prevent unintended chemiluminescence due to the breakage of the container otherwise caused by impact, such as dropping shock, applied to the chemiluminescent device during commercial distribution.
The closed-cell plastic foam can further provide excellent heat-insulation performance to allow the chemiluminescent mixture to be unsusceptible to ambient temperature and be maintained at adequate temperature even if it is used in cold districts. This makes it possible to assure stable luminescent effect for a desired time-period. The closed-cell plastic foam further provides moisture-proof. Thus, in combination with the heat-insulation performance, the chemiluminescent device can be storied without degradation in chemiluminescence even under adverse conditions. Furthermore, the closed-cell plastic foam provides enhanced buoyancy effective upon the application to a marine emergency-light.
The closed-cell plastic foam includes a styrene-based foam, urethane-base form, vinyl chloride-based form, vinyl acetate-added polyethylene-based form, olefin-based form. Among these materials, the polyethylene-based form has various advantages such as excellent chemical stability with respect to the chemical components or the chemiluminescent mixture, excellent shock-absorbability, innocuity and safety to the human body, and disposability without harmful effect.
The forming ratio of the closed-cell plastic foam may be selected in the range of 3 to 50%, preferably in the range of 20 to 30%. Higher forming ratio provides enhanced light-permeability of the closed-cell plastic foam. If the forming ratio is reduced down to less than 3%, a sufficient light-permeability cannot be obtained. If the forming ratio is increased to greater than 50%, the closed-cell plastic foam increases in brittleness with decreased resilience, resulting in deteriorated workability. When the forming ratio is arranged in the range of 20 to 30%, the closed-cell plastic foam or the outer layer can have a thick thickness, for example, substantially equal to the diameter of a cylindrical luminous body, to obtain adequate shock-absorbability with sufficient light-permeability. In this case, the luminous body will have an apparent diameter (the diameter of the outer layer) three times greater than its actual diameter. The thickness should be determined by weighing the advantage of shock-absorbability and light-permeability, because the light-permeability is reduced as increasing the thickness.
In the first aspect of the present invention, the outer layer may have an outer surface formed with an irregularity. As compared with a flat or smooth outer surface of the outer layer, the irregularity allows the outer layer to have further increased outer surface area or luminous area. The irregularity or difference in the thickness of the outer layer can create light and dark portions along the boarder of the irregularity on the outer surface of the outer layer to provide enhanced ornamental effect.
When the outer layer has a cylindrical tubular shape, the irregularity may be formed by providing a spiral groove in the outer surface of the outer layer.
In the cylindrical outer layer, the luminous body may also have a cylindrical tubular shape, and the cylindrical luminous body may be substantially concentrically disposed in the outer layer.
Further, the chemiluminescent device may include a plurality of the luminous bodies. In this case, the chemical components in each of the luminous bodies are arranged to generate a different color light.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a chemiluminescent device including an outer layer made of closed-cell plastic foam and provided with an interior space therein, a light reflector disposed in the interior space to divide the interior space into two or more separate spaces, and two or more luminous bodies each capable of generating a different color light through a chemiluminescent reaction. Each of the luminous bodies includes a light-permeable, flexible container, a breakable capsule contained in the container with leaving a space therebetween, and two or more chemical components for making a chemiluminescent mixture, which are enclosed separately in the capsule and the space. The luminous bodies are disposed in the separate spaces, respectively.
In the second aspect of the present invention, a multi-color luminescence can be obtained in addition to the effects according to the first aspect of the present invention. Particularly, when the outer layer is formed in a cylindrical tubular shape, the light reflector may include two or more light-reflector members having an integral common end along the longitudinal axis of the outer layer. The light-reflector members extends separately in the radial direction of the outer layer from the common end to the inner surface of the outer layer defining the interior space, so as to provide the separate spaces. In this case, a multi-color luminescence along the longitudinal direction of the outer layer can be obtained.
Further, the outer layer may have an outer surface formed with an irregularity such as groove to provide enhanced luminous effect as with the first aspect of the present invention.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description.